Strength
by hungergamesfan51
Summary: Thresh was my favorite character throughout the Hunger Games. This is the Hunger Games from Thresh's POV. How he felt after the reaping, what he did during the games, and finally the fight with Cato. The actual games are now up!
1. Chapter 1

The Reaping

I always hated the reaping day. I jumped up out of bed. I'm a late sleeper; the reaping started in an hour. I got dressed quickly. I went towards the area where the other seventeen year old boys were placed. I started thinking about my younger sister. She is thirteen and very sweet. It's an awful feeling know that if she was chosen I couldn't volunteer for her. I know that I at least, have a chance with my strong body and some skill in swordplay.

Our district representative stepped up to the stage along with our three mentors, Breeze, Storm, and Lightning. Breeze is our only female winner. She is short with blond hair. She is very fast. She won twenty years ago. She apparently won the games by hiding for most of the games and then when there were only four left the game makers pushed the four remaining tributes together. No one paid any attention to her until two were dead and the only other remaining tribute was badly hurt. She quickly killed him and won the games. She's not the mentor of the tributes this year. She gives her tributes the strategy that she used which would not work for a big powerful guy like me.

Storm is vicious. He is tall and very strong with a lot of skill in knives. He won thirty years ago He won by killing four people in the first day. Then he made an alliance with three others and when they fell asleep, he killed them in their sleep. Within two days he had killed seven tributes. Now there were only ten tributes left. He killed two more and his reputation became so fearsome that even the careers didn't want to challenge him. When there was only one tribute left he killed him easily.

Lightning won by cleverness. He is tall and very smart. He used his advanced knowledge in poisonous herbs and berries. He poisoned other people's food and left poisonous herbs and berries out for other people to eat. Finally when there was one tribute left, he put poison on his knife and even though he was badly outmatched he managed to get a very light scratch on the other tribute. The scratch was packed with deadly poison and within ten seconds the tribute was rolling on the ground. Within twenty he was dead. He is this year's tributes mentor.

I'm yanked out of my daydreaming when our representative, Ella announced the girl's tributes name. Rue Neuman. I see a twelve year old girl step up. My heart almost breaks. She is almost in tears and she is so tiny she looks like she's eight years old. Then Ella announces the boy's tributes name, "This year's boy's tribute is… Thresh Wood!" My knees go weak but my body goes stiff. The crowd applauds. I've heard the term "earth shattering" before but I never thought it would feel like this. My life went from being the object of girl's attention and having a rich family as far as district eleven goes to hell. With one simple sentence I had been condemned to death.

**Please let me know if I should continue. Also tips, suggestions, anything would be very welcome. Please review if you have read this.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wesley- Sorry if the story is a little fast. I wanted to get to the actual Hunger Games fast. Don't worry though, I plan to tell you more about Thresh in this chapter. **

**Mia- I will develop the characters more. Also, Thresh couldn't volunteer for his sister because a boy tribute cannot volunteer for a girl tribute.**

**Amara- I will try writing in a different style. I'll give you props for catching that as sometimes I do that by accident.**

**Liana111- Thanks for the review. I really wanted to do a fanfic from Thresh's point of view.**

I'm sitting alone in my room when my parents come in. For a minute no one says anything, and then my dad speaks," When you're in the arena, remember that we love you. You will be coming back, I know it." "I'll do my best to come back to you and mom and my sister Reg." I respond. My mom suddenly bursts out crying and then the peacemakers come in and bring them out.

Next, Reg comes in, I can tell she's been crying. "You've got a shot when you get in the arena. You've got to get your hands on a sword and get yourself a powerful reputation. All those hours practicing sword fighting with your best friend Jim is finally going to pay off." She smiles a sad smile and I say, "I'll come back to you. I'll fight hard to get back to you, and mom, and dad. But I don't think I have the heart to kill anyone." She says, "That's ok I don't think you'll have to. If you can get yourself a big enough reputation no one will challenge you." The peacemakers come in and bring her out. Finally, my best friend Jim enters, "Hey man you OK?" That's all he said and I didn't say anything the entire time. We just sat there knowing that there was a good chance this was the last time we would see each other. Then the peacemakers came in and he left.

I get on the train and see my partner? Friend? Enemy? I don't know what to call Rue. I decide that I shouldn't talk to her. It would just make it that much harder if I have to kill her. Unfortunately, she starts talking to me, "Hello, some day huh?" I keep my face expressionless, "Yeah, I'm sorry you got picked, you're only twelve." "You've at least got a chance of winning, you're big, strong, and people will fear you." She responds. I need to end this conversation. If I get to know her then I won't be able to kill her. Even if it's the final two tributes I won't be able to kill someone I know. I'm not sure if I can kill anyway. "Sorry, I'm tired I have to go to sleep." I walk away before she can say anything.

I get to my room and lie down. It strikes me odd how they pamper the tributes to their heart's content right before they send them to a death sentence. All the tributes at this point seem amazed by their rooms. I look around the room sullenly. I think I'm asleep before my head hits the pillow. Tomorrow morning I walk in for breakfast and see Ella and Lightning. Rue comes in shortly afterward and starts to talk to me, "Hey Thresh!" I look her straight in the eye and realize that I can't kill her anyway. I smile and her and say, "Hi Rue! You like your room?" Lightning cuts her off before she can answer. "The interviews are tonight go get ready."

My stylist team escorts me to the stylist room. They dress me in a black muscle shirt designed to make me look like I can win by strength. They also give me blue shorts. I'm basically dressed like an athlete. Later Rue and I go in our chariot. The people scream when they see me and cry when they see Rue. I can tell that I'm going to get some sponsors. Tomorrow is my interview. Lightning does me a quick brief of the interview and tells me to use quiet deadly power. I can tell right away I'm good at that. My interview goes quite well, I'm giving one or two word answers. Then they ask me about my sister. I answer in three words, "She's my world." Then the interview ends and I'm feeling pretty good.


	3. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

**I need some more reviews before I continue the story. I've got some questions. What should Thresh score in the scoring? Should Thresh be friends with Rue or not? Should Thresh have to kill someone besides Clove? Should Thresh have a lot of sponsors? Bottom line I need some more reviews to get a solid path of where I'm going to go in this story. I'm going to let this story sit for a little bit and see if I get reviews. When I get three more reviews I will continue the story. Thanks to Liana111 for reviewing both chapters.**


	4. Chapter 4

**OK, this is my longest and hopefully my best chapter. Personal thanks to Liana111, Jack, and fireonice1292 for the great reviews. All right, here goes. **

I walk towards the training room. The careers have already made an alliance. I see the biggest career walk up to me along with two girls. "Hi I'm Cato, and this is Clove." He says pointing to the girl on his left. "This is Glimmer." Pointing to the girl on his right. "When the games start it's best to be in an alliance, why don't you go with us?" I take the scene in. Careers kill for fun, I can't kill. No doubt they just want me to help kill off the weaker tributes. That, and so they know when to stick a knife in my back. That's when it hits me, they're afraid of me, I realize. Otherwise, they wouldn't be offering this to someone from district eleven.

I can't kill, and if I join them I'll be killed. "No, I'm going solo." I say.

His face immediately twists into a sneer, "Fine, do what you want, but know that you've just made three enemies before the games even start." I start to think that I might have been wrong. They might not fear me after all. I look on with dread as he walks away with Clove and Glimmer.

I go to a station for sword handling. I fight the person there to practice with. He's good, but I'm better. Sword fighting is all about blocking and then striking. When you or your opponent is outmatched they start to just block. That is what he was doing. Then with a quick move, I hit the hilt of his sword and twist hard knocking the sword out of his grasp. Or so I thought. He went with my sword strike and then flicked the tip of his sword into my stomach. If I was not wearing armor I would have been killed. He shows me how to do this move and tells me that he invented it and that no one knew of it. I'm aware of Rue watching me along with Cato. He's watching to learn how to kill me; Rue's watching to know who the tribute she's with really is. For the first time ever, the safest thing for a tribute to do is not train.

Tomorrow morning I see Rue as soon as I go out of my room. She looks troubled. "Thresh, once we get into the arena, will you try to kill me?"

I'm shocked by her question, "No Rue, I won't be hunting you if that's what you're asking."

She looks relieved. "Thanks, it's just since we're going to be next to each other when the games start, and you're faster than me you could run me down and kill me easily."

I debate whether I should tell her my secret. Something about those eyes makes me trust her, "Rue, I don't think I can kill anyone." However, under my breath I mutter anymore.

She looks very happy, "I don't think I can either."

Lightning briefs me on how to get a high score. "Listen Thresh, you're big, you have strength, you need to show the game makers your strength. However, what you really need to do is show them how well you can use a sword." I listen to every word taking it in, knowing that this score could mean the difference between life and death.

It's now time for the moment that decides the number of sponsors I get. I walk into the room and see the game makers immediately perk up when they see me. I can tell they're calculating my strength. I immediately walk over to the heaviest weight. It's at least 250 pounds but I lift it easily and throw it a good twenty feet it lands and almost puts a hole in the floor. The game makers are impressed. Next, I show them what I can do with a sword. Finally, I throw a knife and stick in solidly about six inches from the target. Then they dismiss me.

Tomorrow night the scores start coming up. First Glimmer gets a seven. She won't be that dangerous. I'm starting to think it might be OK that she, Cato, and Clove are my enemies. Then Cato and Clove each score tens. Then all of a sudden district eleven pops up. Rue scores a seven. I'm happy for her. Then my name comes up, I'm suddenly very scared. Then the score pops up, a ten! I jump up in the air and land with a loud bang. Then the district twelve tributes come up. I'm expecting sixes for them. However, the boy pulls an eight. I think his name is Peter? Pete? Peeta! That's it! Then the girl comes up. She volunteered for her sister. Somehow, someway, she pulls an eleven. I think my mouth actually dropped open.

I look to Rue who smiles, "She looks like someone you can trust." She says.

I agree completely with her, but you never know. "Remember Rue though, she might just be putting on an act."

"I know, but she volunteered for her sister right? She\ has to be nice."

Rue's too nice, she hasn't been through what I've been through, she hasn't had to fight for her life. "Rue, she volunteered for her sister which means she's going to try very hard to get back to her. If killing you is what it takes she won't hesitate." This silences Rue. I feel bad. I decide to cheer her up, this promise might just kill me though, "Rue, if I see or hear you in trouble during the games I'll save you."

Her eyes immediately sparkle. "Thank you, it's nice to know I've got someone on my side." She smiles and I think of what would happen if she knew what I'd had to do that one dark November day.

The games start tomorrow. My plan is to run for the cornucopia, get a sword and get out of there fast. My biggest worry is that there will be only bow and arrows. If that happens I'll be in big trouble. I finally go to sleep. I wake up the next morning knowing that it might be my last. In what seems like no time I'm in the arena listening for the horn. I look around; I see a very nice sword about fifty yards away from me, that's the sword I have to get. To the north is a grain field, that's where I'm going straight after I get the sword. Maybe I'll be lucky and there will be a cave there too. I peek a glance at the other tributes. First, I look at Rue, she smiles at me. Then, I spare a glance at Katniss and she's looking hard at Peeta. Finally, I look at Cato. He is staring right at me. He's gunning for me, I can tell. Where is the horn? It's not sounding. Right when I start to think there's been an error and it's not going to sound, I hear it. BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!

Game on.

**All right, the next chapter is going to be the actual Hunger Games (obviously). I promise to have it up by next Saturday, hopefully sooner. Thanks for the reviews everyone it means a lot. Keep the reviews up, show the love. **


	5. Chapter 5, The Games

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games. **

**Liana111- Thanks for the review.**

**MissFANG-faximumfan- Thanks, the reviews mean a lot to me. It's okay that you posted that update thing there.**

**Justenoughluck-Thanks for the idea you gave me. Also, thanks for the great review.**

**Fireonice1292- Once again thanks for the great review. **

**The Games**

I sprint towards the cornucopia. My strong arms and legs pumping hard up and down. I was 20 yards away, 10, I was there! I grabbed the sword and realized that someone else had it too. I looked up… and got knocked into next week. It was Cato. Somehow, I managed to hold on to the sword. He smiled, "Should've teamed up with me, huh?" Right before he punches me in the gut. I throw the sword. It lands about twenty yards away. Then, he hits me with a right hook, left, and right. The last one spins me around. I'm gasping for air. I'm almost unconscious, which, at the cornucopia is as good as dead. He walks towards me slowly knowing that I'm almost dead. Then, something inside me snaps. My survival instincts come in. Last time this resulted in someone killed. I hit Cato in the face. With all the force of an arm that can lift 200 pounds. The blow would've killed some people, surely knocked out anyone in the Hunger Games… except for Cato. He merely gets knocked back a step and looks dazed. I can't stop I hit him in the gut, and almost broke my hand on his muscles. However, the effect is immediate. Cato falls to the ground gasping for air. If looks could kill, Cato wouldn't have to try to hunt me down; I'd be dead right then and there. I know I've just made a deadly enemy. Hopefully, he won't hunt me yet. I think I might've scared him enough so that next time he'll come with Clove. I run and grab the sword.

I get into the grain fields. I run for hours. Every few minutes I look back expecting to see Clove, Glimmer, or the leader, Cato. I finally see a cave. It's perfect! I see grain surrounding it. Right as I get into the cave I hear the anthem play. I look into the sky hoping to see Cato. I don't see anyone I know. I'm suddenly overwhelmed with sadness. Eight kids killed for something that happened for more than 45 years before they were born. There will be more to follow. I go to sleep. I wake to Rue above me with a knife. I grab her and quickly pin her to the ground and knock the knife out of her hand. What was she doing? Was she crazy? "Well" I said, "What's this about?" That's when I realize that she wasn't holding the knife towards me. She was holding it away from me. The look in her eyes answer the question before she has a chance to say it. However, she says it anyway, "Look behind you."

I turn around and see the male tribute from district three. A career no doubt. I take my sword out just in time to block his first strike. He backs away after that. I see him looking right at me. He's holding a spear. Show time. He lunges at me with the spear. He's clearly an expert, I sidestep and chop off the tip of the spear off. He takes a sword from his belt. I fight hard against him. I block him time and time again. I'm backing up. Another five feet and I'll be against the wall of the cave. He swings his sword up, clearly meant as a killing blow. I bring my sword up to block a blow… that never comes. Instead he slashes low, I just get my sword out in time but he still cuts my leg. I'm against the cave wall now. Then, he turns around and flips Rue over his shoulder. Little brave Rue had gone after him with a knife. Rue hit the ground and was knocked unconscious immediately. Then, he looks at me and goes for the disarming move, he nails it. I'm in trouble, my sword is about to be lost. Then, I remember the move the instructor showed me. I go with it and stab up at his chest. Only, this time, he's not wearing armor. This time he's not going to stand back up. This time, he won't be able to use the move against someone else. This time, he's dead. I hear the cannon go off and feel numb. That boy had family waiting for him to come back. I had just killed him. Then, I remember Rue and feel that what I did was right. If I didn't me and Rue would be dead right now. I easily pick Rue up with one arm, keeping my other arm with the sword in case there are more careers coming. I go back into the cave and think about what my first kill felt like. This isn't my first kill.

_Flashback _

_I'm walking home from a party. It's a cold November night. It's rainy and hard to see. All of a sudden I'm jumped by a guy with a knife. He's crazy; I can see it in his eyes. He doesn't ask for money, he wants blood. I jump out of the way and quickly get him in a headlock. I don't want to do it but when he tries to stab me again, I have to do it. I snap his neck. The powerful muscles in my arms ripple and then I hear a snap. It's as if it's my neck that's been snapped. It actually hurt me more than him. I didn't eat for two days after that and didn't speak for two more weeks. Eventually, it just became a dark shadow on the edge of my mind. Until I found it that the person was Jim's uncle. I never told him you know. I never told him that I had left his uncle in a puddle by the side of the road. And now, I might not have the chance._

I'm jerked back to the present by two cannons firing, one after the other. Chances are that two tributes that made an alliance just got killed. I hear Rue, "Thresh, where's that guy?"

"I killed him Rue."

She looked sad for about a nanosecond, "Thresh, don't feel bad about it, he tried to kill you and me for no reason. You just defended yourself and me. You saved my life." She wraps me in a bear hug. Or tries to, she's so tiny and I'm so big that her hands can't even get close to wrapping fully around me. "Thresh, I have to go, we still have an alliance going, but Cato and the other careers are hunting you. It's not safe to stay with you."

"I completely understand Rue, and if we don't meet again, know that I love you like my little sister Reg. You two are my world." I can tell that means a lot to Rue. "Well, bye Thresh."

"Don't say bye, you say see you later."

"Okay, see you later Thresh." With that she scampers off. That's when I realize that I need water. I check the pack of the career boy. There's a bottle of water, but not enough for more than one day. There's also a pair of night vision glasses. That find might just save me. I put them on and immediately see bright daylight although by now, it's after sundown. My eyes suddenly start fluttering to sleep.

I wake to the national anthem and am surprised by the three faces that appear in the sky. One is the boy from district three, the one I killed. There is also a boy from district five I remember. He had dark hair and was a pretty good fighter. Now he's dead. The last face is a girl, someone I don't recognize. Now is the time to attack I realize. I need to get something. I run and find the lake a few miles away. There are two people there, but only one is a career. The career is Glimmer, the other one is a boy from district nine. He's rigging up the minefields I realize. Wow, he put one over on the Capitol. I can't help but be a little in awe. Then Glimmer hears something and runs off, leaving just the boy there. This is my chance I rush in and take the boy by complete surprise. I catch him in a headlock. I hear my voice, "Listen, you either tell me exactly where the mines are, or I kill you here and now. And, you're going with me, so if you lie, you'll die too." It was a complete bluff, but my only chance.

The guy looks scared, "Okay, if you walk straight and then make a left, then go ten paces straight and then jump, you'll reach the stuff without activating mines. I do as he told me and reach the career's pile. I can take anything I want I realize. However, they're already looking for me; I have to be very careful. I take another sword as I can fight with both hands. Then, I take a giant canteen filled with water and leave.

I take a look at the boy, "If you tell anyone what happens, Cato will kill you. He'll kill you for letting me in. Then, he'll go after me, but he won't find me. You'll be the only one of us he kills. Got that?" He nods furiously and I see that it worked. I go back to my cave and decide that I need to go to sleep. Right as I'm nodding off, I hear a sound. I roar and I hear a yelp. "I know you're there, if you don't come out I'll kill you." I say. Another complete bluff.

The boy with the crippled foot steps out of the shadows. "Listen, I've got a sword, and I know how to use it." He's clearly scared. I show him my two swords and then show him the blood of the boy from district three. He's shaking now.

I can't do this to him, "Listen," I say, "How would you like to be in an alliance with me." He's clearly happy knowing he won't be killed today. "I'm tired," I tell him, "you take the first watch." I lie down holding my sword. I fake sleeping for a full four hours with my eyes part open staring at him. I decide that this is the only way to see if he's telling the truth. After four hours I wake up. I tell him it's my turn to guard now. I let him sleep. He's decided to trust me and won't kill me. Good, I've got an ally. Just as the sun peeks over the horizon I hear it. Three quick cannon shots. Three careers just died. I just have a feeling. I decide to go see for myself. I run to the lake and hide in the grain. I see Cato, Peeta, Clove, and a boy from district one stumbling to the lake. At first I'm shocked Peeta joined the careers. Then, I realize that he just was acting about loving Katniss. A brilliant strategy. Then it registers, Clove and Cato are stumbling. Stumbling! This is the same Cato that ran me down easily from a much farther distance. Then, Clove and the boy from district one fall to the ground. Peeta and Cato run back. I decide to follow them. I trail back about fifty yards.

Then, I hear Peeta yell, "Katniss? What are you doing? You've got to go! Cato's almost here!" I hear Katniss running away and reach the clearing just in time to see Cato cut Peeta deep in the back of the leg. I run, then a branch snaps under my feet. I see Cato turn and charge me. I draw my sword and block his first strike.

For the first time, I wonder if Cato is sane, "You think that you can just get the same score as me, refuse to join our alliance, and then beat me in a fight!? You may think that you're the best out there because you beat me. But let me tell you something Thresh, you're going to die. I'm going to kill you. You're going to die now Thresh."

**Ok, so tell me what you think. This chapter might be my most urgent one for reviewing because I need to know the style Thresh should have in the fields. Was this chapter good or bad? Exciting or not? Did I overplay or underplay or get the rivalry with Cato just right? Should Thresh have killed Jim's uncle? What about Thresh's first kill? Was the idea good with Rue? Should he have killed the boy? Should he have taken the career's stuff? What should he do next chapter? As You can see I really need reviews. So, if you've read this please review!**


	6. Opinons for the Games

**Hey guys. I just wanted to thank all of you people for the reviews and favorites. Please remember though, favorites are nice, but I prefer reviews. Now I've got three big questions I really need answered**

**Should most of Thresh's battle's be one on one (Thresh vs. someone) or two on two or two on one (Thresh vs. two people)?**

**Should Cato and Thresh continue their very strong rivalry or should it be downed or upped a little bit?**

**Should Thresh and Caon's alliance have them become friends or simply allies?**

**Also, feel free to tell me of any ideas you have for the story and I'll try to incorporate them into the story.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter it means a lot.**

**Wesley- Sorry, I'm trying very hard, thanks for the appreciation of effort. I'm happy to know you can relate.**

**Liana111- Thanks, I'm trying to make it very believable, I wanted Thresh to have an alliance because I felt that at one point, Cato and Clove would both attack Thresh and it wouldn't have been realistic for Thresh to win without help. Also, thanks for being my most dedicated reviewer!**

**Fireoxmysox- Thanks for the compliment.**

**Hunger Games Fanatic- Sorry, I don't have the book with me. However, I don't think Peeta could have watched the field the entire time. Thanks though, I'm trying ******

**Fireonice1292- Thanks for the compliment and reviews. Also, thanks for staying loyal to my story. I tried to work your ideas into my story.**

**Mlollove- Thanks for the review and compliments.**

I stumble backwards. Cato is clearly fighting to kill. I block his sword, try to retaliate with a strike but instead, am forced to block again as Cato quickly follows through with another strike. I attempt the disarming maneuver on Cato, I think its working until I realize that Cato wants it to work. His sword goes flying along with mine. Somehow, before Cato can attack I knock him to the ground. He's pinned, but not for long. I can't kill Cato so I rear back, and punch him in the face knocking him unconscious. I stay there for a second, not believing I won again. Once surprised me, but twice? Maybe I'm stronger then I though.

I start to get up but then feel a slashing pain in my arm. There's a long knife cut running deep across my right arm. My blood is now soaking the ground. I turn around to see Clove, she's shaky, but she'll still be able to kill me. She's fifty yards away and she's armed with five knives. I can't win this battle, but I have to try. That's when I get an idea. I retrieve the knife and rush Clove, zigzagging. I'm fast, but Clove knives are faster. She throws her first one, if I was another half centimeter to the right, or she wasn't shaky from some kind of poison, I'd be dead. I actually feel the breeze. I'm thirty yards away when she fires two knives rapid fire. I dodge the first one, but the second one can't miss. I feel time slow, the knife hurling at me. I can't move out of the way, somehow though, I thank my sword fighting training, I block the knife with my knife. I'm now twenty yards away; she's got two more knives. She fires one and I hurl myself to the ground, out of the way, however, my breath is knocked out of me when I hit the ground. Clove can't miss, I'm ten yards away and barely moving. Clove fires, at me and I see the knife hurtling at me, I can't get out of the way in time. I brace for impact… and feel a searing pain in my leg. I'm hurt, but alive. She wasn't aiming to kill me. I briefly wonder why she didn't kill me. Then, I look up. Cato is above me. He smiles, "This is the same thing as the cornucopia, only this time you'll die." He's right; my right arm is now losing feeling because of the cut, and I can't even move my leg. However, I won't let him have the satisfaction of seeing me this badly hurt. I need to at least take out either Cato or Clove. I've got some skill in throwing knives, not like Clove, but I can hit my mark most of the time. I throw the knife at Cato, he easily dodges it, but I wasn't aiming for him. With a scream Clove falls to the ground, the knife lodged in her knife in her left arm.

Then I turn to Cato, "You'll die Cato, you can kill me, but you'll still die." Cato loses it. With a scream he hauls me to my feet, and then hits me in the gut, once, twice, three times. Next, he hits me in the face hard enough to make me send me back four feet. My vision goes fuzzy, by the time Cato hit me in the chest, I'm unconscious. However, I quickly wake up. Everything hurts. I see Cato above me and see that he has gathered his sword. He reaches up for the killing blow, and then stops and falls. A look of profound shock on his face. The boy with the crippled foot, my ally, is holding a knife.

"By the way, I'm Caon." I see Cato starting to get up. "We better go; he won't be down for long. I only slashed him across the back."

"Thank you Caon." I say

Then, we limp back to the cave. We reach the cave near nightfall. I need medicine for my arm. I speak loudly and clearly, "I need medicine for my arm and leg, without It I'll die."In a few minutes, a silver parachute comes down. I open it and am overjoyed to see medicine a needle for a shot. I inject the needle into my arm and leg and go to sleep. My dreams are disturbed, I see Rue pleading for help as Cato gets ready to kill her. However, the harder I run, the farther from Rue I become. Then, the ground opens up, and I can't move. I see Clove taking practice with her knives and Cato instructing her. She aims and fires and I watch as the knife hits me with a suck thud.

I wake up in a cold sweat to Caon shaking me. "The anthem's about to finish, and the faces are almost ready to appear." I realize that the medicine worked. Then, I look up and see a face in the sky. It's Glimmer's face. As wrong as it feels, I think that Glimmer deserved to die. I go to sleep, wondering how Glimmer died.

I get a rude awakening when I wake to find Caon and I surrounded by Cato and Clove. I jump up and quickly grab my sword. Caon already has his knife. Cato and Clove clearly have a plan. Clove quickly backs up while Cato charges us. I parry Cato's first strike and see Caon battling Clove. This is bad; Caon can't defeat Clove one on one. However, Cato's too good to easily beat. I drop back, and find what I'm looking for, three knives from Caon's collection. I throw the first knife at Cato, then quickly fire the second knife at Clove. Both are direct hits, they get up knowing they're in trouble. I wasn't aiming for them, Clove only brought two knives, I knock the first knife out of her hand with my throw. The other shot was at Cato's hand, forcing him to drop his sword. Immediately after Cato's sword falls, I charge him. However, he grabs my arm, and quickly knocks my sword out of my hand. It's another no weapon fight. I kick him in the stomach, and he quickly retaliates with a punch to the gut, however I block the blow. My next blow is nasty; I punch Cato in the face. Cato turns to me and says, "This round is a draw. Next time won't be so friendly." He runs out. I think for a second, friendly?

Then I remember Caon. I charge Clove and hear Clove, "I wouldn't do that if I were you." She's got Caon on the ground with a knife to his throat. I can tell right away what she plans to do. She'll kill Caon anyway, then throw the knife at me and kill both of us. She's very smart.

I slowly reach down, pretending to kneel down, I've got one shot at this, "Clove, if you kill Caon, I'll kill you." She smiles and says she liked to see me try. I pick up the knife and throw it at Clove. However, she's faster than I thought; she blocks the knife and stabs Caon in the stomach. I drop to the floor, feeling as if she had stabbed me instead. She throws her knife at me, but I dodge it. I'm blocking the exit to the cave now. She can't get out without fighting her way, weaponless, through me. She rushes me and I push her face… and hit air. She ducked the blow. Then, before I can react, she kicks me between the legs. I double over, gasping for air and she runs out. I don't get up. I'm fine after a few seconds, but Caon is dead. It is a physical pain; it feels like I've got a giant bruise where my heart should be.

I walk over to Caon and sob. That's when I hear Caon, "Thresh, don't let the Capitol get away with this." Then he dies. I haven't ever cried that I can remember. For some reason though, this boy I barely knew death made me cry. I cry for a long time, weeping because that boy had family waiting for him, weeping because of his foot he never stood a chance, but mostly weeping because although he's gone outside of me, he still lives inside me. Then, I hear a giant boom; one of the mines must have gone off. I try to stay alert, but the numbing sadness makes it very hard. I stay awake just long enough to see the faces appear in the sky. I am overcome with another wave of sadness when I see Caon's face in the sky. There's also the boy who rewired the mines. Cato must have killed him after the mines exploded. I had decided that the mines blew up the career's supplies. Right after that, I hear one cannon shot, then another one right afterwards. I eventually cry myself to sleep. I dream of Caon the entire night, I keep seeing him saying, his last line, "Thresh, don't let the Capitol get away with this." Was he asking me to revolt against the Capitol? Or to simply speak out against them quietly if I win? I decide he wants me to revolt against the Capitol if I win.

I wake up and realize there's only six people left. There's me and five others. I try to think who the other five are. Chances are Peeta is one of the two cannons that went off right after the anthem. So with that makes Peeta dead. Also, there's a very high chance Cato and Clove are still alive as I saw them right after Caon's death. That's three, I'm pretty sure Rue is still alive which makes four. Katniss is probably still alive after scoring an eleven. That makes five. The last person is then either a career or Foxface. I find myself hoping that it's Foxface.

The day passes very quickly; I'm surprised by how quick these Hunger Games have passed by. I know I'm lucky to have found a sword and a field with plenty of grain in it to eat. I nap for a while; at least I have some peace today for the first time throughout the Hunger Games. I wake up at sundown. Then, the anthem plays. I look up in the sky and see the two faces. One is the male career from district one. The other is Rue.

**Okay, so what did you think? When I get five reviews I will update my next chapter. Thanks for reading and hopefully reviewing. Oh, also, I'm thinking of doing a fanfic from Cato's POV, what do you guys think? Finally, MOST IMPORTANTLY, what did you guys think of Caon's death? Did I write it well? I was thinking of having him killed from the mines during a scouting mission from Thresh, but decided against it. And before I go, there will probably be three or four more chapters.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Wesley- Thanks, your suggestion gave me a good idea for a fight scene.**

**Fireonice1292- Thanks a lot for the really nice review. You were my first review for Caon's death so I really appreciate it. Also, you've reviewed almost all of my chapters.**

**Liana111- Once again, thanks for the review, it was really nice. You've reviewed all of my chapters.**

**PhascinationPhase- Thanks for the review it was really nice.**

**Santastic- Thanks for the review, you're about to find out how Thresh feels about Rue's death!**

I scream. I no longer care if Cato or Clove hear me. I'd fight them any day as opposed to Rue dying. I fall to the ground moaning. Within seconds my sadness turns to anger. Whoever killed Rue will personally die by my hands. Then, with the adrenaline rush over, I fall to the ground and for the second time this Hunger Games I weep. Rue's gone. The little girl who asked me to protect her, and I failed her. I can't cope with this. There are no words to describe the pain I feel right now. I go over to the corner of the cave and pick up the sword. I turn it so the point is facing me. I'm about to thrust it into me, the first suicide on the Hunger Games ever. Then, I remember Reg and more importantly, I must avenge Rue. I'll kill whoever killed Rue, but first, I have to find out who did it. I put the sword down and crumple up on the ground. I finally go to sleep and dream nightmares.

I see Rue on the ground screaming in distress, a figure is towering over her; I can't make out who it is or its weapon. I then see its arm coming forward and jump towards the figure. However, my jump is in slow motion and the object goes through Rue. A second later the figure is tackled by me. I see Rue screaming on the ground and immediately get up and try to comfort her. She looks at me and with her last words say, "You didn't protect me Thresh." Then she screams a bone chilling scream and melts into Cato. Cato immediately spears me through the stomach. I scream but am helpless as I fall to the ground. I see Cato, Clove, and that boy Peeta laughing at my pain. I try to reach up to hit one of them but they're just out of my reach. I feel the pain spread up to my head and know it's only a matter of seconds until death now. Then with one bright, searing burn of agony I awake in an ice cold sweat. I realize that I must have screamed as I hear the echo of my scream reverberate around the cave.

I need to do something. I jog to the lake, not caring if I'm spotted. Halfway there I feel the cold prick of a knife in my back and an unknown feminine voice say, "Walk forward five paces and then turn left." I do as she says while ticking off the tributes in my head, it's not Peeta, his voice is too deep, it's not Cato, his voice is too deep and I know his voice, it's not Clove, I know her voice. That leaves either Katniss or the unlikely Foxface. If it's Katniss then I'm going to have to fight her now before she kills me. I make my move. I kick back and feel my foot hit her knee and then turn and flip the person over. I catch a glimpse and reel back in surprise as its Foxface. However, before I can finish her, I feel a body that can only be Cato slam into me from behind. I manage to keep my footing and turn to see a frightening scene. Cato has Foxface pinned down and then I see Clove running towards us. Great, just what I need another me vs. Cato and Clove battle.

That's when I get my biggest surprise of the games. Clove throws a knife at Cato. Cato just dodges it in time, but in doing so releases Foxface who dashes away from the scene. However, she is quickly stopped from another knife flying from Clove slashes her arm. Then I realize it, Cato and Clove must have found the tension too great and split. Meanwhile Cato charges me. I drop low and sweep my leg across his feet looking to knock him down. However Cato jumps and while flipping over me grabs my shoulders and keeps going. I manage to stop him but my shoulders are almost yanked out of their sockets. I see Foxface pinned down by Clove. This is my chance I run away from Cato and tackle Clove. However, she quickly pops up and backs up. Soon, there is a square, Cato is diagonal from me, Clove is on my left and Foxface on my right. I dash into the square quickly and see Cato and Clove rush me. Instead of keeping on running I turn and dash for Foxface. I close quickly on her and tackle her. I can't kill her, so I punch her in the head knocking her unconscious and then head back to Cato and Clove. Cato has gained the upper hand. He's got Clove pinned down and is reaching down to strangle her.

That's when I hear the voice of Claudius Templesmith, "Examination of the rules determine that there can be two winners if they're from the same district."

Three things happen rapid fire. First I hear, "PEETA!" That must be Katniss. Then Cato stops strangling Clove and jumps off her and helps her up. Finally, Clove throws a knife at me which misses me by a hair. There's only one thing to do, I run. Cato attempts to chase me down, but I reach down grab Clove's knife and hit him in the arm with it. Some gut impulse tells me to hit the ground. I do and a split second later see a spear moving at very high speeds go right above my head. I breathe a sigh of relief only to see that Cato is now only twenty yards away. I pop up and sprint. I turn around, and run right into Clove. Before I can move, she pins me to the ground and holds a knife to my chest. She's very pretty I realize, that's when I get an idea. This would be the most desperate idea of the entire history of the Hunger Games, but if it worked, I would have plenty of sponsors and be able to escape.

As quick as a snake, I lift my head up and kiss her. It's quick, and I see the surprise and shock register on her face. Then before she can react I throw her up in the air and she lands with a thud. I smile at her and say, "Now we're even." Then I run. Clove's still gasping for air so I don't need to worry about her. However, Cato's not finished with me. He tackles me from behind and I elbow him in the gut. Yow that hurts. I don't stop though, I hit him in the arm hard, hoping to get a pressure point, and somehow get lucky. I feel his arm go limp. I quickly strike another pressure point on his inner leg and then run away. I can't laugh after Rue, but I feel a broad smile across my face as I realize I just survived another battle with Cato and Clove.

I run back to the cave and hear a sound. I pretend not to hear it and walk right at the area where I heard the sound. Now I can make out a shadow of the figure. It's Foxface I realize. I walk over, pick up my sword and stab her in the arm. She falls to the ground with a scream of agony. I speak quietly, I don't often show emotion. "Why are you here? Are you in league with Cato and Clove?"

"No, I was just trying to… you know." I did know. She was trying to kill me by poisoning my food or maybe killing me in my sleep. I could kill Foxface right now I realized. I could kill her and only have four more opponents left. I sigh and realize that if I don't kill her, I'll lose sponsors, but if I do kill her, I'll lose myself.

I sigh and turn to face wherever I think the cameras are, "I can't do it, I won't kill someone who has no chance, I'm not like that. I know you can kill me at any time, but this isn't against the rules, I just can't kill someone in cold blood. Especially someone who is helpless." I turn back to Foxface only to discover she already left… with my sword and knives. I run after her, but it's starting to thunder, I put on my night vision glasses. Much better. I run after Foxface, I see her in the shadows and tackle her but she sees me a second before I hit her, and throws my sword and knives down a trench. There goes my chance to win the Hunger Games I think. I can't let her just get away with this. I punch her in the gut, knocking the wind out of her, and from the looks of it, and the strength of my punch, she won't be able to move for another half hour. I shoot one glance of venom at Foxface and then leave. I arrive back at the cave and wonder how much longer the Hunger Games will last. That's when I hear something that makes me know that they won't last much longer. It's Claudius Templesmith, "Attention the final tributes of the 74th Hunger Games! You are all invited to a feast at the Cornucopia. Now, some of you may already be declining, but this is no ordinary feast, each of you needs something desperately, and that thing is in a pack with your district's number on it." I know I must attend, I need to find out who killed Rue, and I know that in my pack there will contain at least four knives and a very nice sword, and if I'm very lucky, my secret weapon. I'm very big but, I showed the game makers my secret weapon. Lightning showed me how to make a poison to put on my sword, it's not super powerful stuff, but it will knock the opponent unconscious. This could be my edge, my reason to win. That's when I realize that someone will die at the feast, possibly me…

**Okay, so this chapter was a little hard to write because I couldn't kill any tributes. I promise my next chapter will be much better which is the feast. I will have two long chapters after this. Once again, don't hold it against me if I didn't get exactly what Templesmith said about the feast as I don't have the book, thanks. When I get another five reviews I'll update my next chapter. Review please.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games**

**Liana111- I can't thank you enough for sticking with my story the entire time. Yeah, I thought that with Thresh's size, he would have some weapons in the Games so I needed some way for him to lose his weapons and I thought that this was a good way.**

**Wesley- Once again thanks for the review you've reviewed almost every chapter. Thanks for saying it's my best chapter!**

**Santastic- Wow, I'm a little surprised that everyone's saying this is my best chapter yet but I'm definitely happy. Thanks for catching that mistake, I changed it to Rue later, sorry about that!**

**Fireonice1292- Thanks for the great review. Here's the cornucopia scene.**

**Mollove- Thanks for the review, it means a lot to me.**

**Here goes people.**

The feast is tonight. I'm freaking nervous but I've got about three hours before the feast. I force myself to think. The final tributes are Katniss, Peeta, Clove, Cato, Foxface, and I. I know that I'm forced to show up because of my desperate need for weapons, Clove and Cato will show up, I'm not sure about Foxface and Katniss. However, I know Peeta won't because of when Cato cut his leg; he's still hurt from that. My strategy is going to wait until there's a fight over a pack, then I'll grab my pack and leave. If someone takes my pack, I'll hunt them down and get my pack back. And If I find out who killed Rue they will die. I will kill them just as they killed Rue. I rest for a few hours and then put on my night vision glasses and slip outside. I'm still about a mile away when a very bright light goes off. Dang, I'm late for the feast, someone might take my pack. I sprint the rest of the way there. When I'm about a quarter of a mile away I see the brutal scene that has unfolded.

District number five's pack is gone, Foxface must have gotten away. Katniss is holding district twelve's pack, and Clove has her pinned to the ground with a knife. She's teasingly tracing out Katniss's lips as if she's going to cut them off. I realize then that's exactly what she's going to do. I dash in for two reasons, first, now is the perfect time to grab my pack, and second, I can't let anyone go through that kind of pain. I'm rushing in when I hear Clove speak, "I'm going to kill you, just like your little friend Rue."

I go berserk, Clove killed little Rue, she's going to die for that. I grab a huge rock and run over to Clove, I can't even call her that now, I'll just call her Rue's killer. Just as she starts to cut Katniss's forehead I lift Rue's killer up easily with one hand. She takes one look at the giant rock I'm holding and loses it. I've never in my entire life been even close to this mad, I didn't even know what it feels like until now, "What did you do to that little girl? You cut her up like you were going to cut up this girl?"

Rue's killer stammers, but I don't want to hear it. "No, no I… Cato!" She screams. I hear Cato's pain filled voice yell back, but he's too far away to help. I drop Rue's killer and she starts crawling back on all fours. I don't hesitate; she will pay for what she did to Rue. I bring the rock down hard on her head. She falls to the ground with a huge dent in her skull. She's a goner. Rue's killer is finally dead, Rue has been avenged, but there's one more matter to take care of.

I look at Katniss, the girl who was on fire. She's sniffling and she looks at me, "Do it quick okay Thresh?" She starts to reach back, and I get my rock ready in case she reaches for one of the arrows in her quiver, but she just wipes her nose.

I'm incredibly torn, I need more information before I kill her, "What did she mean when she called Rue your little friend?"

"We Rue and I, made an alliance, but she was hurt. I sung her to sleep"

"To sleep?" My voice was even rougher than usual because of the pain.

" To death, your district sent us bread."

I realize I have to let her go; Rue would never forgive me if I killed her. Also, I feel like I owe her, I mean she tried to protect Rue when I couldn't, I owe her for that, and if I kill her I'll never pay off the debt. "I'm going to let you go, just this once. After this no more owed, we're even okay?" Katniss nods and I know she knows what I mean by the no more owed. It's an awful feeling, being indebted to someone, and I in the Hunger Games that feeling can mean death.

I run over, take my pack and both districts two's pack and run back to my cave. That was one odd feast. I go back to my cave and open my pack and… score! There was a really nice long sword, five perfect throwing knives, and as a big bonus, there was my pack of poison. I applied it on the tip of the sword and the five throwing knives. I open district two's pack and find two gleaming sets of light weight full body armor. I quickly put on one set and put the second set in the back of the cave. For the first time in the Hunger Games, I'm truly happy. I've successfully avenged Rue and gotten some very nice weapons and armor. Then, when I'm on top of the world, it happens. Just as I finish applying the poison, I hear a thud outside the cave. I go outside and see a pot with a silver parachute attached. I take the pot inside and open it up. Inside is a note. That's weird, you're not allowed to receive writing in the Hunger Games… this must be from the Capitol. Why would they send me a note? I read the note and feel faint and above all, numb. There's an old saying in district eleven, you can never stop on top on the world, eventually you'll lose your balance and fall. This can't be happening, not when I'm so close to winning the Hunger Games. Not now, no, not now. I read the note again just to make sure and it says the same horrible thing. I see the words, but my mind insists it's not real. The anthem starts playing but I don't hear it, all I can hear is a rushing in my ears.

_Dear Thresh Wood,_

_We are sorry to inform you of your family's death in district eleven. Your friend Jim was also killed. They were struck with a deadly disease, and did not realize what the disease was until it was too late. It struck your father first, followed quickly by your mother, your friend Jim, and finally struck your sister. All three are dead; they have been buried in the official cemetery of the Capitol. We felt a responsibility to tell you of this unfortunate accident, and even though you're in the middle of the Hunger Games, we feel that you have a right to know. Your father passed away two days ago, your mother yesterday, your friend Jim this morning, and your sister while you were at the feast. They died in very little pain; the disease killed them quickly and painlessly. The disease has been successfully stopped in district eleven, and there were only five victims, including your family and friend Jim._

I didn't cry, I couldn't, my eyes were all cried out from Caon's and Rue's death. My body had taken on a numb feeling. My old life was gone, the only thing that kept me going throughout the entire Hunger Games, was that I might come back to my old life, but even better. All hope of that was gone in a single note. When Caon and Rue died, the only thing that kept me from dying was that my family and friends were waiting for me. Now my family is dead and my best friend as well. Now I realize why they say that you never come from back from the Hunger Games. Now I know what they mean, even if I win, a small part of me would stay in the Hunger Games, forever dealing with the deaths of Caon, Rue, my parents, Jim, and Reg. The Hunger Games ruins lives, and for the first time, I truly understand what Caon meant by telling me to get back at the Capitol. They did all this. Then there's a giant clap of thunder. I look outside and see the raining pouring down in buckets.

The tables had been reversed, instead of needing to wake up from a nightmare; I need to sleep from this nightmare of a life. I needed to get out of this world even if just for a few hours. I'm asleep before I hit the ground. The dream started out happy, I was back in district eleven, somehow Caon, Rue, and I had all won the Hunger Games. My family was alive and we were all neighbors and great friends. I was in the middle of talking with Caon and Rue.

"Hey guys you want to eat lunch?" I say

"Sure." Answers Rue and Caon in harmony. We all burst out laughing and stay like that for about ten minutes. Then, all of a sudden Caon stops, and falls to the ground.

"Hey you ok?" I ask, thinking he laughed too much and didn't get enough air, and then I see the knife sticking out of his neck. A second later Rue falls the knife in her chest. I was dealing with my friend's death all over again. Then, I see Clove's ghost with an array of knives.

"You did this to me Thresh. It's all your fault, and now you'll pay!" The world starts to melt and spin, and soon I'm on the ground unable to get up. Then I hear a giant boom, and with one giant shake of the earth, I wake up.

It's still raining hard; this storm was brought on by the game makers. They're obviously trying to force Cato and me to fight to the death. I wonder what's happening with the other tributes. Cato's probably hunting me, Foxface is hiding somewhere, and Peeta and Katniss are somewhere in the forest waiting for someone to come to them.

If I die right now, I'd want Peeta to win; he seems to have stayed true to himself, more than I can say about myself. Cato's stayed true to himself, but he's a career, he doesn't care about human life, and to tell the truth, the Games seem to have driven Cato a little insane. Foxface seems to have lost herself and turned into this mad person. Katniss is the wild card; she seems to be in love with Peeta. But it's like she's just acting for the cameras, I don't believe that she really cares about Peeta. However, they all still have people to come back to, family and friends waiting for them. I've got no one to come back to, my old life is gone. I can't get it back, the only thing keeping me going is my sense for survival and that Caon and maybe Rue would want me to win.

I sleep for the rest of the day, only going outside to get enough grain for the next two days. Then, the next day, I hear a sound. I look outside and see Cato, about twenty yards away. It's time for the battle of two giants, a grudge match, both people have nothing left to lose, and this time someone's going to die.

**Again, don't get mad at me if I got the dialogue with Katniss, Clove, and Thresh slightly wrong. Only one more chapter to go, I think you guys are really going to like the last chapter. Same deal, when I get five reviews I'll update, so keep reviewing people. Oh and did you guys think it was a good idea to have Thresh's family and best friend die? I'm sorry if it was sad, but I felt it really made the story better. Plus, I wanted him to have nothing left to lose in the final battle against Cato. PLEASE REVIEW.**


	10. Chapter 10

**PhascinationPhase- Thanks for the review, you review really fast, I hadn't even had the story up for ten minutes!**

**Liana111- As always, thanks for the review, they're all very important!**

**Wesley- Thanks, I forgot to write that, I edited it though. **

**Mlollove- Wow, I can't even thank you enough for all those reviews, especially the last chapter, it means so much to me!**

**Fireonice1292- Yeah I know, but I managed to throw in a little twist this chapter…**

**The final chapter everyone...**

Cato preempts my attack with a spear throw. If I hadn't been wearing the armor I would've been dead right there and then. As it was I get knocked back hard, and my chest was already bruising. It's raining so hard I can just make out the outline of Cato. I take one of my knives and throw it at Cato. It whistles past Cato about half a foot to the left of him. I throw my next two knives rapid fire and see both of them miss. I fire my second to last knife and watch as Cato quickly hits the ground, barely avoiding being killed. I keep my last knife and pick up my sword, ready to fight. Cato enters the cave in a rage and immediately starts swinging his sword. I block his strikes, but don't have enough time to thrust some strikes of my own. I need to make a move. Cato's swings in a diagonal arc, and I drop down and try to sweep Cato's feet out from under him.

Cato's too fast though and jumps back. However, by doing this I get the opening I'm looking for. I lunge forward and Cato barely parries in time. He responds with a thrust which I then block and counter. I attempt the disarming maneuver, but Cato's too fast. Now we've got a real swordfight going. It's a dance of death as we go up and down the cave searching for each other's weak spots. After an hour of this we're both starting to tire. I manage to get a cheap strike in on Cato's leg, but it's not with the tip of the sword so the poison doesn't kick in. I still enjoy the moment of triumph until he responds by cutting my leg. I step back for a second in a little shock and take a barrage of sword strikes. I'd be not only dead, but in pieces if I hadn't had my body armor. However, this time the armor had gashes in it. With one final strike my armor falls away to the ground, now a heap of scrap metal. I realize that I've got a cut on my leg from one of the sword strikes. We're both bleeding now. I know that I've got to use my sword better, without armor I have to be very careful. With this knowledge I press Cato's defenses, and send him retreating. Then, I start advancing back as he starts attacking me. The advantage starts swinging back and forth by the second. I'm not even thinking now, I'm just reacting to Cato's moves.

Despite my efforts, I can feel my sword arm start to ache from the fast and deadly swordplay. I need to try the disarming maneuver again. This time it works, but once again Cato thinks fast and knocks my sword out of my hands as well as his. Our swords go clattering into a puddle and I see the poison on my sword dissolve from the water. Cato then punches me in the stomach. It hurts but I have to keep fighting. I swing my foot around back of Cato's legs and hit him hard in the chest. He hits my foot and falls to the floor. However, before I can pin him down he does a spinning roundhouse while lying flat on his back. This takes an incredible amount of strength but it did the trick. I fall back to the floor my nose bleeding heavily from where the kick made contact. For the first time this fight Cato speaks, "You killed Clove, we were going to win together, you'll pay for that."

"Cato, you don't have to kill me." But I can see in his eyes that he will kill me given the chance. He's not the same Cato that started the Hunger Games. That Cato had only trained, this Cato had killed and seen things no one of any age should see. There was something in Cato's eyes that made me think that the experience of the Hunger Games had driven him crazy. I do a backwards somersault, (for my size I'm incredibly agile) and pop up. Cato is still steadily advancing. I remember my knife and take it out. Cato halts staring at the knife. I get it ready to throw, and speak, "Don't move, if you do I'll throw the knife."

I mean it too, Cato deserves to die, he's been gunning me from the start for no other reason besides that I got the same score as him and I didn't join his alliance.

Cato smiles, a sick twisted smile, a smile full of cunning and ruthlessness. "I'm sorry Thresh, I can't do what you ask." With that he charges me. I throw the knife and watch as it misses Cato by less than a centimeter. Cato hits me, but I use his momentum against him, throwing him to the ground over my hip. He hits the ground but gets right back up. Then, he unleashes a deadly front kick. It catches me square in the chest, right where the spear hit me and I stumble back. He follows the kick up with a punch in the face. I'm now bleeding heavily from my nose, it's clearly broken. I'm dazed and fight to keep a clear head. I manage to shake off Cato's next attack, and work back to the swords. I quickly pick up my sword, only to see Cato already lunging at me with his sword. Right back where we started, only this time we're both tired and bleeding. It doesn't take long to realize that we're both making mistakes. I catch Cato's left arm with a sword strike and a long gash appears next to it. He follows by slashing my left shoulder. The water below our feats from the rain is now blood red and flowing fast. Cato lunges again and I barely block his blow. I need to do something to get back to hand to hand combat where at least I had a chance. When Cato lunges next, I clash the hilts of our swords together, forcing both of us to let our swords clatter to the floor.

He stares at me, "You want to fight hand to hand then? Fine by me." He quickly brings me down with a back kick. This time, I hit the ground hard. I try to get up, but Cato hits me in the stomach and knocks me back down to the floor. The wind's knocked out of me and I put up little resistance as Cato pins me down. He starts to choke me. I reckon that I've got about thirty seconds before I lose air and die. My sword is off to the side of me. I reach for it, but it's just out of my reach. Only fifteen seconds now, I start to get tunnel vision and gasp to get air but can't get any. "Ready to die Thresh? I told you that you would die; I told you that you couldn't win. You had to go and try to prove me wrong, but that didn't work out so well now did it?"

With one final, desperate attempt I jerk hard to my right, and am surprised to feel Cato's hands let go of my throat. I greedily gulp in air, and grab my sword. I can see it in Cato's eyes now, he's afraid. I've got the sword, I've got the advantage. He gets down on his knees, "I surrender Thresh. I can't win this battle." I wasn't buying it, but I did take a half step forward, and that was all it took. With one lightning quick move, Cato snatched the sword out of my hand and slashed me hard across the stomach. The cut wasn't deep, but with all the blood I had already lost, I was actually starting to get dizzy. Cato slices again, but this time I dodge. I work my way over to Cato's sword. When Cato slashes again, I jump to the ground and roll, in the process picking up the sword; however, as I start to get up Cato kicks me hard in the chest. I go down, dropping the sword as I fell to the floor of the cave. I was now clearly in trouble. Cato didn't try to strangle me this time, he thrust the sword down. I manage to roll out of the way, although I knew that it wasn't any use, I was just prolonging my own death. However, as I jump up, somehow I kick Cato's sword. The sword abruptly changed direction and I jumped up, unscathed. I look around for a weapon and find my knife. I grab it and, with one quick move, I throw it at Cato. The knife found its mark, hitting Cato's stomach. Cato crumples to the ground, not dead, but unconscious, and from the look of it not much more life in him.

I turn around, not looking at Cato anymore. For the first time, I wonder if I could actually win the Hunger Games. With Cato out of the way, it was just Katniss, Peeta who was probably still pretty hurt, Foxface, and me. I was looking on the bright side of things. I could return to district eleven as a hero. I could make new friends and be the most famous person in district eleven. The possibilities were endless. Just then, I heard a tiny sound behind me, and then felt a quick, burning spot of agony, right below my shoulder blade and…………… the cannon went off as Thresh fell to the ground dead. A knife was sticking out of his back. Cato was standing over the dead body and even he felt a tiny amount of sadness, in the back of his mind. Instead of kicking him like the other dead bodies, Cato just looked at Thresh and said, "I told you that I would kill you Thresh. I told you."

**Wow, that was really sad, even to write. I really need to know what you guys thought of the last and most important chapter. Also, if I get a lot of requests to continue the story from Thresh as the hounds POV I might do it. Thanks, and remember PLEASE REVIEW.**


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